A Dream Of Wonderland
by SebastianGirl1994
Summary: This story follows 'That's What Makes A Trancy Maid' ...Elena has woken up in a strange place, one where names are forgotten. She is now our beloved Alice following the trail of the White Rabbit. But she'll encounter more than she bargained for along the way...with a special narration by Sebastian Michaelis
1. Prologue

**Hey guys, I know it's been a while but here's a new story. Please don't read this if you haven't read 'The Phantomhive's New Maid' or 'That's What Makes A Trancy Maid'. This won't any sense. Anyway...this was one of my favourite OVAs. So please enjoy, with commentary from the one and only...**

**Sebastian Michaelis**

I opened my eyes, gasping for air and clutching my chest tight. My heart felt like it had stopped a moment ago, worrying me into thinking it had ended. My life had ended. Glimpses of a world I was certain I had dreamed stained my eyelids; a woman's hand protruding through my stomach, a boy crying as I wiped away his tears, a man telling me my soul was beautiful. I shook my head carefully, knowing it had all been a dream.

I put my hands on the floor a moment later, feeling the hard wood underneath that braced me. My hair, as I felt it tickle my neck, circled me like a halo. I raised one hand to wipe my eyes, wondering what had caused such a dream. I yawned before arching to stretch. I sat up slowly, yawned again before I viewed where I had fallen asleep.

I was in an office, bookcases lined the walls with a small set of chairs in the corner with a small table. I stood slowly, and walked over. A tea cup was set out carefully and the liquid it had once contained was long gone. I shrugged, feeling thirsty all of a sudden. I decided to occupy myself with a brief look around the room, certain there had to be water somewhere. I moved to the heavy wooden desk and saw the big armchair with a green back. I touched it gently and returned my gaze to the surface.

Books and papers lay haphazardly in small piles, no sense of order existed. I reached out to touch the cover of one of the books, revealing its name to be Primrose Garden. Not something I would read, nothing I had heard of either. Though, while thinking that, I was certain I had heard its tale in a previous time.

"I might have read it in the dream," I whispered, before a spider scuttled across the surface of the desk.

I watched it with mild interest before picking up Primrose Garden and dropping it with a loud thump over the spider, crushing it so it became an addition to the desk. I was certain that the spider had meant something to me, certain I had seen it before but now it was too late to bother myself with such trivial matters; it was dead, I was not.

"I should find Ciel," I whispered as I wrapped my arms around my lilac dress to keep me warm.

But no sooner had I said that aloud, that the name faded from my memory. Who was I supposed to find? It was then the door to the office opened and a man walked in, holding a small bundle of kindling. I watched as he stacked them in the fireplace and lit the fire, warming me immediately. I closed my eyes as I felt myself release my arms and enjoy the warm glow. I looked back to the man, seeing black hair and a black outfit. I walked closer and he turned his head to view me. His eyes were a soft reddish brown and his skin looked greyish, even in the fire's light.

"Sebastian?" I asked as the man stood.

For some reason, that name seemed to mean something to me. I felt the fire's warmth grow as this man viewed me carefully before taking out his pocket-watch. He frowned down at the clock face and I tried to see what bothered him so.

"I'm late," he muttered and turned away from me, "precisely twenty three seconds late."

He walked closer to the door and a small fluffy bunny tail blossomed at the base of his spine which made me rub my eyes a little, certain I hadn't seen this. When I looked back at him, he had grown bunny ears. He opened the office door and stepped out into the hall, closing it behind him with a slight click. I stayed where I was for a moment before following, uncertain as to what had just happened.

I touched my spine and my head, seeking the bunny accessories that Sebastian had grown on a whim, but I possessed none. It seemed to make me feel better…for no apparent reason. I put my hand on the door handle, and pushed down carefully until it opened. I looked out on the hall and spotted Sebastian walking further away from me.

"I must follow him, he'll lead me to Ciel," I whispered, and as before, the moment I said that name, it faded from my memory.

I closed the office door behind me, and walked after Sebastian. He seemed anxious and unnerved, which unsettled me. Wasn't he supposed to be of infinite patience?

"I'm so very late," he muttered before speeding off.

"Please wait, Sebastian," I begged as I ran after him.

The further I went down the hall, the more I began to notice. Signs decorated the floors, the ceiling, the walls and stood at odd angles that made me alter my path so as not to fall over.

"Straight ahead," was among the signs as was, "stop!"

It forced me to rub my eyes, unsure now if I was dreaming this as I had dreamed of the man and the boy. A butler clad in black and a boy who wore blue…and my heart ached when I remembered their faces. Sebastian would tell me who they were, he just had to. I came to a stop however, when I lost sight of Sebastian.

"Sebastian?" I asked as the chill entered my bones and made me shiver.

"I'm late," his voice echoed, "precisely one minute and six seconds."

I followed that voice and found myself facing a black space. I could feel a breeze on my face coming from in front of me but there was no way for me to see what was making that breeze. I looked behind me and spotted a sign that welcomed me, and I clutched it tight so I could lean closer to find out the source of the chill before I returned to the office and its fire.

That is not how it went of course. Instead, the sign came loose and I fell forward, landing painfully on my knees. A shaft of air wrapped around me, blowing up my blonde hair before it shook. I placed my hands on the floor and then…then I was free-falling into a pit.

**_Alice attempts to act very smart, while she is often quite dim-witted. Oh, did I say that aloud? Pardon me…_**

**_What I meant to say was, poor Alice, her curiosity got the better of her, now whatever shall she do?_**


	2. Chapter 1: Down The Rabbit Hole

I felt my dress wrap around me, the same way a woman would wrap a scarf around her neck. I closed my eyes as I tumbled over and over, until the breeze stopped and I ventured a glance from between my fingers. I was still falling, into a place I wasn't sure I knew.

As I fell, clocks flew past me. Their birds flew out to mark the hour, and a small part of me remembered setting the time on the faces of those clocks. But no sooner had that memory surfaced that it was gone. I flew past the clocks and was soon surrounded by white roses and Bitter Rabbit dolls with an eye-patch covering one of their eyes. The breeze pushed at me, so I was falling with my feet first. It was there that I landed in a giant pillow, overstuffed with down feathers.

I coughed as the pillow exploded around me, and covered me in the dainty feathers. I pulled them from my hair and looked around me. There was a door, actually, there were many doors. But only one seemed oddly luminous to me. I walked closer to view it and put my hand on the door handle. I tried to turn it…but it didn't move. I tried again, but the object refused to budge.

_"Madness is defined as the repeating of an experiment and expecting a different result…"_ a detached voice whispered to me as I dropped my hand on my purple skirt and viewed my surroundings once again. But the door always caught my returning gaze before I dropped to my knees and looked through the key-hole. Beyond, was a beautiful garden. Flowers grew tall in beautiful shades and varieties of colour.

I spotted a small table beyond with some cakes and a glass of water. I tried to view further before an eye appeared on the other side of the key-hole. It was an odd blue, not quite what I liked as it appeared cloudy, almost like dirty rain water. It blinked when it spotted me before a finger went through the hole and poked me in the eye.

I pulled away to rub my eye carefully, feeling tender now as I looked back towards the strange blue eye. There was no voice, but it somehow managed to laugh, sending a shiver down my spine. I pulled on the handle once more, now slightly desperate for that water (and to see who the strange blue eyes belonged to) before I remembered what that detached voice had whispered to me. I stood up and wondered how I was supposed to get on the other side.

I looked up, and spotted something silver. Would that help me open the door? I looked around the room and spotted a table that hadn't been there before. I tilted my head to the side and viewed it carefully. There were two things on its surface, a small cake and a small vial. I lifted the vial and saw it had 'DRINK ME' written in light cursive so I looked over at the cake. It had, 'EAT ME' written in the same cursive, a familiar cursive I wasn't sure where I had seen before.

"Which should I do?" I whispered before looking back up at the silver object, "will one of them help me reach that silver thing?"

The cake was a powder blue colour, with a white ribbon tied carefully around it. A butterfly immersed in the finest cerulean shade grazed its top with the small sign on the corner. It looked too beautiful to eat, and yet…I lifted it carefully and took a bite.

My hand locked and the cake fell to the table, leaving a trail of crumbs in its wake. My heart was racing, as it had in my dream and I clutched my chest. But instead of pain, it was an odd sense of happiness. I pulled my hands away and viewed a soft shimmer coming off of my skin. I looked back to the cake, and blinked. Had it grown bigger? Had I only taken a nibble rather than the bite I was certain I had ate? Then the table seemed to be a little taller and I wondered if I was perhaps shorter than I had originally thought.

I lost sight of the rest of the room as I fell into my purple dress. I stopped changing size and my dress dropped around me. I looked around the inside material, trying to find my way out before I pushed at the material.

"Was it always this heavy?" I asked myself as I climbed away from the heavy underskirt.

I got free a few moments later and looked around the room I was certain had been smaller a few moments prior to my skirt falling on me. I looked to the door, and the eye that kept its steady gaze on me. It was only then that I realised what had happened. The room hadn't gotten bigger….I had shrunk. I screamed, sounding oddly like a kettle boiling. I looked at the dress and then myself before I screamed again. My dress had stayed the same size while I had…shortened. Which meant in that moment, I was as naked as a newborn baby. I tugged at the purple dress, seeking to pull some of the material away to form some form of cover on me.

I managed to rip some of the underskirt and wrap it around my waist twice. I ripped another piece and tied it around my chest before I inspected how bad I looked. I looked like a strange prostitute **(in case anyone was wondering, she's dressed in a bikini sort of style),** so I tied off my hair and wondered what I supposed to do now. I couldn't stay here.

"Drink me," I whispered as I looked back up to the table and then further to the shimmer of silver.

But how was I supposed to get up to the table and drink that strange vial? I looked back to the dress and began pulling more pieces off. Maybe I could use it to make a rope and climb up onto the table. I tied off what I considered to be a very long measurement before I brought it to the table's base. I found a small staple and tied it at the very end to act as a grip on the table's wooden surface.

I swung it over my head and threw it, hearing it scratch the surface of the table. I pulled on it, feeling the resistance which gave me a small amount of hope. It was then I spotted a spider, similar to the one from the office as it looked down at me, its yellow eyes glowing softly as it unhooked the rope and let it fall back down to me. I mumbled before starting the whole process again. But no matter how many times I attached the rope, the spider sent it back down to me.

"Damn it, Claude!" I snapped but the name faded like the other until it was only me and the spider.

I had to find a way to distract the spider, to make it lose interest in me. I scanned the room and spotted a small fly. I walked over to it, seeing it had a lovely greyish lavender body and bright blue eyes. A small bonnet was attached to its head as it looked at me. I reached out and it let me hold it tight, wrap the rope around it and swing it around my head. It was a very odd fly. The fly went to the spot the rope caught and the spider went to detach me. It froze however when it spotted the fly and it went after it.

Let's just say, it sounded horrid from where I was standing. The fly screamed and then everything went silent. Up until the fly made a slight buzz. The spider went for it and I heard it hit something. I looked up in time to see the vial falling off the table. The spider must have knocked it down in his desperate attempt to stop Hannah from stealing Ciel's soul…but no sooner had I received that thought that it was gone. The vial fell on my dress and I grabbed it quickly, seeing the label was still attached. The liquid inside was pitch black but if it could help me retrieve the small silver object, who was I to protest?

I pulled the stopper out and tilted the vial so I could drink the contents. It felt like water running down my throat, but as with the cake, a curious feeling wrapped around me. I dropped the vial and the contents began to spill free but that didn't bother me. The drink had an odd taste, like bean cakes from Houndsworth mixed with grapes. The cake had been odd as well, with a taste of salmon, beef fillet, rice cake, eel pie and dust. I felt my heart stutter and I felt myself grow. The dress became a forgotten mess on the floor as I shot past the table and the small fight between the fly and the spider.

I had enough conscious thought to grab the silver object before hitting the ceiling painfully. But I didn't stop growing there either. The roof collapsed around me and crushed the duelling pair on the table. It brought a sense of relief to my heart that they were gone. The room fell to the floor around me, and I was in the garden I had seen through the key-hole. I looked around a moment later before viewing myself.

"Not again," I mumbled as my shreds of fabric had faded yet again….and I was standing in a garden of a manor naked, "it's just not my day…"

**_At least she crushed that awful spider, he was truly a pain in my…I'm narrating now? Why didn't you warn me?_**

**_Excuse me ladies and gentlemen, I wasn't aware we had reached the end of this chapter. What I was trying to say was, fear not, Alice is quite resourceful. Now, back to the story…_**


	3. Chapter 2: A Cute Mouse Approaches

I ran from the room to a bush of white roses, close to the table and tried to cover myself. I needed to find something to wear, as I was a little too tall now. The purple dress would never fit me again, so I was trying to cover myself.

"Hello Alice," a soft voice called out and I turned to the voice.

The girl who stood there had blonde hair in two pigtails, ringlets fell to her shoulders and a small piece of hair ran over the right side of her face. Her head was adorned with what appeared to be the softest mouse ears with delicate pink middles. Her eyes were bright as she viewed me curiously. I noted that she was wearing a very nice yellow dress and pink gloves that matched her pink boots perfectly.

"Hello," I said simply and the girl/mouse smiled brightly.

"Alice, have you grown since the last time we met?" she asked.

"Em…I suppose," I mumbled, "may I ask who you are?"

"Who I am?" she asked as another woman joined her and the pair looked up at me, "why I am the Mouse."

"Lady Mouse," the woman said softly, "as your dodo maid, I prepared your tea."

"Oh, ever so cute," Mouse said softly, though she reminded me of another girl I knew.

"Are you alright?" the dodo maid asked me.

"I'm fine, Paula," I whispered but the name faded with that, "but I appeared to have grown far too tall to wear my old purple dress."

"Do not worry," the Dodo maid said softly as she went to the table, "have some eat me!"

I took the small piece of cake she gave me, not sure what to think. Should I eat it? The last eat me had gotten me in a peculiar situation. I looked down at the sliver of cake and decided to take my chances. I ate it quickly, and felt that odd sensation on my skin. I coughed before I started shrinking, stopping when I lost sight of the dodo maid.

"I bought a pretty blue dress for you, Alice," the Mouse said though I could no longer see her either.

I was hidden behind a bush of white roses when a hand shot out and within its grasp was a small parcel tied with pink string.

"Please, you must wear it! It's ever so cute!" Mouse said plainly.

"Don't worry, Lizzy," I replied but then the name faded like the others.

I pulled the string away from the parcel and viewed the dress. It was very pretty, a soft shade of blue that complimented my blonde hair. It had an underskirt and clean underwear which I put on quickly. I pulled the dress on over my head and found it fell to my knees. Among the dress was a pair of black and white tights. I pulled those on and a pair of black heels. Lady Mouse appeared then and smiled but shook her head.

"The dress is not so cute," she mumbled and looked over my shoulder, "make it smaller."

"Make it what?" I asked and looked to see the dodo maid had a pair of scissors.

She cut the dress to mid-thigh and then stitched a round of white lace around that, making it seem that the dress had always been that way. Lady Mouse put a small white apron around me and tied it off before grabbing my hand and pulling me towards the table and the water. Cakes similar to the ones I had seen in the room adorned the table, but I avoided them. I didn't want to lose this dress when I shrunk.

"Isn't it cute, Alice?" Lady Mouse asked me and I looked up at her, "what's that around your neck?"

I looked down and saw a small silver key wrapped around my throat with a black ribbon and a label stating 'Use Me' in the beautiful cursive. I hadn't seen it before…had I? Lady Mouse was looking at me with a smile on her face before the dodo maid placed a plate of 'Eat Me' in front of her.

Cakes in various shades of pink, reminding me of days where I hadn't been Alice. In my dream, I had been Lucy Michaelis, a friend to a girl who looked oddly similar to Lady Mouse. She pointed to a baby pink cake with a black butterfly and then a luminous pink cake with an even darker pink ribbon wrapped around it.

"Oh you arrived," Lady Mouse exclaimed, "I am grateful you can a spare a moment."

"I can always spare a moment for you, Lady Mouse," the person replied.

I looked to who she was speaking with, and gasped. Sebastian sat beside her, his bunny ears still attached to his head. However, instead of a tie, there was a bow of red silk and he had a pair of glasses on his face. He lifted a pink china cup to his lips and sipped it slowly before pulling out his pocket-watch to gaze at the time. A frown marked his face as he took Lady Mouse's hand and kissed it gently before standing.

"I fear my time is up and I must hurry," Sebastian said with a smile.

"Very well," Lady Mouse said.

Sebastian walked off and I stood to give chase. I had lost sight of him when I had been in that room, I couldn't lose him again. I got to Lady Mouse's chair when she grabbed my wrist to hold on tight. I looked over at her, seeing tears the size of marbles falling down her face.

"Must you leave?" she whispered, sounding more than upset, "we have barely spoken in such a long time. I miss you, Elena."

But that name faded like all the others and I returned to being Alice. Lady Mouse sobbed, and when she did, she reached out for Eat Me Cake and ate it whole.

"No," I begged as she let me go, tears still dripping down her face as she grew in size. I noticed her dress stayed intact while she grew taller than I had been. Tears dropped to surround me, forming puddles that turned to streams.

"I'm going to drown like before," I whispered but no memory surfaced and the statement only served to confuse me.

Tears increased the water level until it was at my waist and I begged Lady Mouse to stop crying.

"All of you keep leaving me!" she sobbed, "first Ciel and then you, Alice. I can't lose anyone else!"

I felt something touch my shoulder and I turned to see the dodo maid looking up at her lady. She handed me a bottle of Drink Me and I clutched it tight.

"She is ever so upset, maybe if you give her Drink Me, she might smile again," the dodo maid said simply.

The tears wrapped around my shoulders and then her sobs increased in pitch. I looked up at her, ready to tell her I would never leave her alone again, that I would always come back to her when I found myself immersed in the salty water. I was twisted and turned, no longer able to determine which way was up or which way was down. I pulled my hands closer to my chest through the current to hold the bottle tight. I opened my mouth to scream, and only inhaled water. My lungs protested to the invasion and a hand reached out to me, lifting me above the current and out of the water.

Their fingers acted as a pillow and their palm braced my back, and a soft breeze alerted to me how cold I was.

"Alice?" Lady Mouse asked as I coughed up water.

"Lady…Elizabeth," I whispered, "please…don't….cry."

"But now I am ever so tall and the boots I bought yesterday will never fit me now!" she started to cry again, "and they were ever so cute!"

"Don't worry," I whispered, feeling my voice growing stronger, "drink this."

I held up the vial to her and she took it carefully without crushing my hands in the process. She put it in her mouth and drank the liquid (as well as ate the bottle…but that's another story). I felt a wave come off her and she dropped me into the churning waters below as she returned to her normal size.

The water wrapped around me like a cool embrace, similar to one I had felt before as I sunk ever lower. I watched as bubbles escaped my mouth and I closed my eyes. At least I had helped Lady Mouse…before the very end….

**_Poor Alice, not sure what to do next. But worry not, the story will become clear soon. Alice did not earn such a beautiful soul by sitting by when others asked for help. Now excuse me, I must bring the Young Master his tea or he will be unbearable…_**


	4. Chapter 3: A Lake Of Water

I coughed, feeling the dampness of water wrap around me and my hair. A hand stroked my head carefully, moving hair away from my face as they hummed a song to me. I opened my eyes slowly and looked at the hard wooden sides around me. Was I back in the office? The hand stilled before leaving me all together. I sat up and turned to find out what had been comforting me, but all I saw was a green tail drop below the water.

"A mermaid?" I asked as I became aware that I was on a boat, "how did I get on a boat?"

"Alice!" a voice called out and I turned to see Lady Mouse paddling away from me, "come on silly."

I looked back at the boat and saw oars…and a flare gun. Why would I need a flare gun? I shook my head and picked up the oars and started rowing towards Lady Mouse and the dodo maid. Maybe they could bring me to Ciel…but that thought faded as I rowed closer. I stopped to rest my aching arms and that was when I heard it…

"Catch, row. Catch, row. Catch, row. Catch, row. Catch, row. Catch, row. Catch, row," three odd people said as another boat came to a stop beside mine.

"Ho ho ho," a voice said, though it was not rowing the boat.

The four people turned their gazes to focus on me. I gulped under their eyes and wondered why they seemed familiar to me. There were three men and one woman. One man was considerably shorter than the others with grey hair. The other two men had short blond hair while the woman had plum coloured pigtails and glasses.

"Hello Alice, you looked oddly worried," the older of the blonds said.

"Don't worry, you can rest your arms when you reach the island over there," the younger blond said simply with a smile.

"There's no need to worry, we're all smiles here in Wonderland," the plum woman said softly.

"I'll do my best," I said simply, "can you tell me if there is anything beyond the island on this lake?"

"A lake?!" the three of them exclaimed.

"Oh I say, is this a lake?" the young blond asked.

"See I thought, wasn't that a mistake?" the plum woman continued.

"We'll have to forgive you, this is clearly a river," the older blond replied with a cigarette in his mouth, "I've known for a while that we're on the Nile."

"The Nile? So we'll meet a crocodile?" the young blond exclaimed with excitement.

"That's all a whim, they're all in the Thames," the plum said to the young blond.

"Just give it a break, for Heaven's sake," the older blond said to stop the others talking.

"Splashing the water, like the great frog makes his chump into the old lake," the grey haired man said, now grown and standing.

"You mean this place is truly a lake?" the young blond said, looking oddly confused.

"You didn't notice before this, Finny?" I commented and the boy didn't turn to look at me, and the name once spoken was later forgotten.

"Not the sea, it was a mistake," plum woman said as she viewed the water.

"I watched it form, MeyRin," I said softly and shook my head to clear the stray thoughts from it.

"Your wits are gone, put your thinking caps on. This is clearly the river, and not a lake," the older blond said.

"But Bard…"

"It's a lake," I said after a moment, no longer remembering what I once called them, "I saw Lady Mouse cry and her tears made the water we are on now."

"Did I do this?" a voice asked and I looked behind me to see Lady Mouse and her dodo maid were sitting where once before, they hadn't been.

"You don't remember?" I asked her as she shook her head, "have you ever felt sad?"

"No, we're all smiles here," Lady Mouse said as she took a piece of cheese from the dodo maid and nibbled it softly.

"Look, the white rabbit!" the plum woman said as she pointed to the island.

I turned to see that Sebastian was running towards me…and he did look like a rabbit. An oddly coloured rabbit but a rabbit none the less. He ran past me, gliding along the water at a run. He was so fast, and so agile that he reminded me of a figure skater I had seen in my dreams one day. He continued to run and I attempted to reach out for him, to pull him to a stop but he continued to run away from me.

"Sebastian!" I cried out as I tried to catch him once more.

I felt the ends of his tail coat float through my fingers as he disappeared. I watched him leave and grabbed the oars to stir myself away from the island and to wherever Sebastian was going. I had to get to Ciel, I had to get there and be with him….I just had to.

The boat rocked, making me freeze to find out what had happened. I turned around in my seat to see the water rose as something charged forward. I leaned closer and saw what appeared to be a dog swimming towards us, before it dove under the water and disappeared from view.

"What was that?" I asked the people near me, and the smiles were replaced with worried brows.

"The puppy," the young blond said.

"Hold on," the plum woman said as they each clutched the sides of their boat.

Lady Mouse and her dodo maid clung to my boat as the 'puppy' resurfaced. It couldn't have been a puppy in any language, and I screamed as fear make me shiver. I was certain I had seen that animal before as I attempted to clutch onto the boat for safety.

Lady Mouse looked over her shoulder and detached my hands quickly. I tried to cling again but she detached me again. Like the spider had done with my rope because it suited him.

"Elizabeth, please!" I begged the girl.

"Your adventure must continue," she insisted, "and you can't reach that island…"

And then the waves pushed the boat up and as I hadn't been holding anything, I fell backwards. The water was forceful this time, and refused to let me surface.

"Sebastian!" I screamed as the air escaped my lungs.

I felt something catch my hand, pulling me closer until I felt the warmth of a body holding me tight. Hands wrapped around my waist as they pushed us towards the surface of the lake. Was it a lake? Or had it been the sea? I rested my head on the shoulder of my saviour and closed my eyes.

I coughed again and found myself shivering once more. I opened my eyes and saw myself in a hut. I looked to where my feet were and saw what seemed like a towel. I reached out for it and dried my face. Once that was accomplished, I wondered where I was now. And what did Lady Mouse mean that my adventure must continue…

**_Her journey in Wonderland has only truly begun, and she has not even caught her white rabbit yet. If only there was another spider for her to squish…I feel we should repeat that chapter. No? Maybe another time…idiotic monotone spider…_**


	5. Chapter 4: A Reserved Dance

Once I had dried my face, everything seemed a little better. That hadn't been a puppy…or had it? I was certain I had never seen a puppy in my life.

"Julius," I whispered but as with everything else, the name became a piece of the forgotten.

I stood carefully and braced my hand on one wall. I was too cold, and when I saw the dress was far too wet, I knew I needed to change. I spotted a trunk and opened the lid to find different dresses within. I pulled out a blue dress and put it aside, and then spotted a pale pink dress. One I was certain I had seen before many years ago. I found a corset and clean underclothes which I dressed into. A hand brushed mine away when I attempted to tie the strings of the corset. They pulled it tight and tied it off three times.

"Thanks," I whispered but there was no one there when I looked behind me.

My corset was tied properly so I didn't know what to think as I picked up the pink dress. I pulled it on over my head and tied the ribbon at my back. The dress fell down to the floor in a train with white detail on the bodice. It was not something I had worn in my life but I had seen it in my dreams. A pair of white wristlets were matched with pink detail before I pulled my hair into small curls around my bodice. I then put that into a chignon twist.

"Are you ready?" a voice called out, "my little Blackbird?"

I turned to see a blond man with lilac eyes looking at me. He had odd ears on his head and I saw the hint of a shell on his back. He put his hand out to me and pulled me towards his chest. We left the hut and I saw we were on a beach, a pretty beach with various coloured shells. I stopped moving with the man to look at the water…seeing the boats were further away from me than I had originally thought.

"Where am I?" I asked to no one in particular.

"Wonderland, my dear," the man responded as he put his hands on my waist.

"And you are?" I asked him.

"The mock turtle," he said as he gave a sweeping bow from the waist, holding onto my hand before kissing it.

"Can you tell me where I'm supposed to go?" I asked after a moment.

"I will only tell you once you have a dance with me," he stated calmly.

"Please Lord Druitt…it's important I must…" but the urgency left and I was worried now. What was so important that I needed to keep moving?

"One dance, my dear sweet Blackbird," and he put his hand out to me, "and I will show you the path myself."

I put my hands over my heart, certain that I was here for a very important reason…and yet…

"One dance," I said as I put my hand out to him and he took it carefully.

He pulled me closer to his chest and he twirled me gently, standing on my dress on occasion. At one point, he stood on my foot and froze.

"I must start again," he stated, "I must be as deserving of you as you are in that splendid gown."

I held tight as he twirled me in a quick circle, making me dizzy before a white gloved hand touched my own. I looked up and spotted Sebastian, his eyes calm.

"May I cut in?" he asked calmly and the mock turtle put my hand out to him.

Sebastian held it tight in his and he pulled me closer before twirling me in a tight circle before our dance went further. He kept his eyes on me as I looked around, seeing that our dance had drawn a crowd. I wasn't anything special…so why were they watching? I looked back up at Sebastian and squeezed his hand, hoping he understood I was scared. Something felt wrong to me, and I wasn't sure what it was. That was what frightened me most.

"Do you know where Ciel is?" I asked him, fear leaking into my voice, "I need to find him."

"Why?" Sebastian asked me, his reddish-brown eyes glowing softly.

"I…don't know," I whispered as a tear escaped my right eye, "I don't even know who I'm looking for."

Our dance finished there and he let me go. I wiped one of my eyes as he pointed behind him. I looked towards the path that led to what appeared to be a palace.

"The Duchess may know who you are looking for, little Alice," Sebastian said softly before he ran through the crowds and away from me.

"Sebastian!" I called out but there was no reply.

I looked towards the path and knew there was nowhere else for me to go but to that palace and its Duchess. Would Lady Mouse be there, waiting for me? Would the strange foursome be there? Would Sebastian….?

I picked up my skirts and walked across the sand towards the gap in the trees…and hoped I was going in the right direction

**_It appears our Mock Turtle has two left feet, which is quite amusing. Not as amusing as the spider….still no? How does a narrator get any amusement, if he must follow the story of our little Alice? I may have to take a break…find something else to do…_**


	6. Chapter 5: A Grimacing Cheshire Cat

I pushed branches out of my way with one hand while the other was holding the skirts of the gown up. My hair had come loose and a few strands were hanging around my face, but it made me look less…perfect. The path was not well travelled by so my shoes often sunk into the muddy trail, but it didn't bother me too much.

The palace came into view then and I stopped to admire it. The roof was flat, albeit the round orbs that decorated it on occasion. A path led to the front door so I followed it. A man walked out and held the door open for me, and I walked into the grey hall. I raised a hand to cover my mouth and nose as a foul and itchy smell wafted around me.

I coughed against the wristlet as I made my way further into the room and then I heard gentle music. I followed it into what could only be described as an audience room for a queen. But this was different somehow, especially with no queen to attend to.

The Duchess had spiky purple hair and almond coloured skin, which reminded me of someone from a dream. Her dress was an odd sparkling lavender colour that puffed at her hips as she lifted her head to look at me. A cloud of grey made her fade from view, and the last thing I saw was a beautiful tiger in her lap.

I sneezed and I heard three others mimic me. The cloud of grey faded and the Duchess was still watching me, her gaze bright but the tiger was gone. It was then that the Duchess looked oddly masculine…not quite the woman I had first thought she was.

I looked for the tiger and found a cat, the size of a young boy in his early teens with his arms crossed. He had cat ears on the top of his head the same shade as his hair, a soft navy colour. One of his eyes was a deep blue while the other was covered by a black eye-patch. He was wearing a white skirt under a blue suit with the coat open to reveal the tie he wore underneath.

"Come, cat," the duchess said simply to the cat, "sit on my lap."

"Not in this lifetime, you insolent brat," the cat replied before licking his paw and cleaning behind his ears.

"You!" the duchess called out and I realised she was speaking to me, "what is your name?"

"I…" and it came up blank.

"Alice," the cat simply stated.

"That doesn't sound right," I whispered to myself.

"Alice," the duchess said simply, "what are you doing here?"

"I need help finding someone!" I said loudly, "I need to be with him!"

"Who?" the cat asked and I looked over at him.

"His name is Ciel," I said.

"Who?" the duchess asked and the name faded from my memory, but the cat watched me closely, almost as if he was trying to determine why I wanted to find…someone. He had the same gaze as Sebastian and yet…I didn't know his name. His name didn't seem overly important to me as I rubbed my eyes.

"You should stay for dinner, Alice," the duchess said rather calmly, "my amazing cook is preparing his lovely curry."

"I have yet to add 3000 more ingredients so it may be worthy of your palette…but more importantly, I must add the most important ingredient," the cook said, "SPICY BLACK PEPPER!"

A plume of the powder was put on the room and I coughed as it clung to my throat and stung my nose. I dropped to my knees to hold my mouth closed, hoping the burning would stop soon. The cat moved towards me and held out a handkerchief, embroidered with the letters CP in the same cursive as that of the food and drink here in Wonderland. I used it to cover my nose and mouth before the cat put a hand out to me, holding me close.

"You are a very odd person, Alice," the duchess said calmly, "you dress strangely."

I looked down at the muddy pink dress that had seen my dance on the beach and my walk here….wherever here was. The Duchess stood and took my hand carefully before bringing me behind her chair and into a room. Delicate silks decorated the walls and the wardrobes. She put me on the bed and pulled at clothes before finding something I had worn in a dream. A pair of workmen trousers and a tunic. I put them on quickly and tied my hair up before returning to the audience room. The cat looked back at me, his eye glowing a deep pinkish purple before it returned to its beautiful blue.

"You may sit over there," the duchess said as I walked over to a small chaise lounge. The cat followed and once I had made myself comfortable, the cat curled up and rested his head on my lap.

I ran my hands through his hair, stroking underneath his ears and heard him cry. His hands were shaking slightly but I shook my head, thinking it was something of my imagination.

"Why did you have to leave me, Elena?" a voice asked and I looked for the source, "why did you have to go?"

I hummed under my breath as the mermaid had done for me on the boat. The cat seemed to stop shaking as I closed my eyes, and remembered a dream I had dreamt a very long time ago. A young boy, and I his bodyguard, before an angel threw me over a balcony in the hopes of ending me. But that was not here, nor was it real. Wonderland was real, I could feel the cat in my lap, I could smell the spicy black pepper.

"I almost forgot," the cook said as I looked up, "SPICY BLACK PEPPER!"

I sneezed again, as did the cat who continued to shake as I stroked his head carefully.

"My cat seems to like you," the duchess said simply, "it appears that you have only shown it kindness and thus it offers its affection freely."

"Quite right, duchess. Also….SPICY BLACK PEPPER!" the cook called out.

I sneezed again and the cat mimicked me but it wasn't in any form of annoyance. It must be suffering the effects of the pepper as well. He put his hand in his coat pocket and pulled out a small piece of fruit, before handing it to me.

"Please eat that," the cat said without looking at me, "I want to speak with the real you."

"I am real," I said as I lifted the fruit up and smiled, "but thank you none the less."

I ate the fruit whole and felt like my head was burning. I screamed against the pain and the cat held my shoulders while I cried. Once the pain faded, I looked up at the cat and saw he no longer had ears. That and he looked oddly familiar.

"Ciel?" I whispered and the boy nodded, "oh Ciel, I am so sorry."

He hugged me tight and I wrapped my arms around him, holding him as I cried into his shoulder. I looked up and saw Agni and Soma watching us, but looking normal rather than the cook and the duchess.

"What is this place?" I asked after a moment.

"Sebastian thought Alice's adventures in Wonderland was one of your favourite books," Ciel replied, "so he sat down to read it to you while your soul…was dormant."

"Ciel," and I lifted my hands to hold his face, "I want you to know I'd do it all again. I would save you hundreds of times over, even if it meant you lived on as a demon. I would do it all again, I don't have a single regret. I'm happy that I got to spend my time with you, however brief it may have been. I'm glad I knew you."

"Elena," Ciel said and I wiped away tears, "why can't you hate him? Alois I mean?"

"Because I…." I said before freezing, "because death is like a long sleep and my grandmother always told me to never go to sleep angry."

"But he orchestrated your death!" Ciel snapped and I nodded.

"I knew it would happen," I said softly.

"You knew?" he asked and I nodded, "how?"

"The Trancy household never liked me. I'm surprised I returned to you alive," I smiled as tears ran down my face, "I only wish I had spent those six months with you, not with him."

"This won't last for very long," Ciel whispered to me, "and then you'll be Alice again."

"I saw Elizabeth, Paula, MeyRin, Bard, Finny, Sebastian and Tanaka," I said softly, "I'm grateful to see them at all. I was always told that there was nothing in the afterlife…so to have Wonderland stretched around me."

"Elena," and I looked into his eyes carefully, "I miss you. You'll forget who I am but I'll be watching out for you. Sebastian is keeping an eye out for you as well, though it may not seem like it. He showed me how to get here, so I could see you…alive."

My heart started hammering and I clutched it tight. Ciel held me before lifting me up and bringing me away from Soma and Agni. I coughed before I felt the pain in my head again. Another set of hands were holding me as they brought me to the forest's edge and I fell to my knees. I gasped for air before the shimmering lit my skin.

"Young master," a familiar voice said, "if you wish to stay with her, you must eat something of this dream as well."

"Like the fruit I gave her?" Ciel asked.

"Sebastian?" I gasped and a white gloved hand dropped to hold my chin.

"What is it?" the man asked.

"I have to find him…I have to find Ciel…" and then I dropped into unconsciousness surrounded by white roses…

**_*Silence*_**


	7. Chapter 6: An Odd Experience Of The Body

I opened my eyes once more, but this time, I was certain I had eaten something of Wonderland…without consent. The blades of grass looked like just that; knives stuck into the ground in odd emerald shades. I adjusted my tunic to cover my stomach, feeling oddly self-conscious before I got to my knees. Was I still in Wonderland? Or had I fallen into another dream?

I turned to look behind me, seeing the orbs on top of the duchess's palace and knew I hadn't made it that far. Had I walked all the way out here? I couldn't remember if I had even seen the duchess or…where my pink dress had gone. It all hurt my head far too much for me to think about. I stood slowly, and decided to start my walk away from the palace, hoping I would come across something of interest soon enough…

I lifted myself up over a box of overturned biscuits and followed the path I had been taking for the last while. I wasn't sure what day it was, let alone the time. Time seemed to be at a standstill here in Wonderland…almost like it never existed. I walked around a jar of jam and then a packet of lemons. Why would someone put that there? As my walk went further, I spotted mushrooms gathered around the boxes of food. A bottle was braced in the ground and I stopped to look at my reflection, surprised by the girl I saw.

Her hair was light blonde, almost like sand, and her skin was like ivory paper. Her eyes, through the glass, looked large and brown…but also very sad.

"Elena Hamilton," I whispered and that which was once remembered was left to be forgotten.

I returned to my trail, hoping I could find Sebastian and ask him for help. I needed him to help me, I didn't know where I was supposed to go anymore. Did I continue straight or take to my left?

I lifted my head in time for a plume of purple smoke to surround me. I blinked against the noxious chemical and started coughing. It reminded me of coughing up a lung oddly enough.

"So, you finally found me, Alice," a voice said softly.

I lifted my head to view the creature sitting on a mushroom top, a pipe in his hand and what looked like purple liquid beside him. I would give my tunic to say that was the source of the odd purple smoke.

"You look familiar," I said softly in reply, tilting my head to see him better.

"I am the caterpillar," he responded and I shook my head, "no?"

"I've met you before," I said before shaking my head again, "in a dream."

"It does not matter now," he said as he smoked his pipe, "but remember this. The right side will make you grow taller, and the left will make you grow shorter."

"What does that mean, Lau?" I asked as movement caught my attention to my left.

"The fungi," a girl said with a mushroom on her head.

"The fungi?" I asked and she nodded, "does that answer my question."

"The fungi," she replied before she moved towards me.

She was pretty girl, her hair seemed hidden by her mushroom head while her eyes were clear. Though…she was naked like I had been earlier. As she made her way closer to me, it was as if she was standing on strange ground. Her feet appeared to stick before coming free, making an odd popping sound to my ears.

"Suck here," she said and I backed away.

"I don't want-" and she caught my head and pushed it to her right breast.

A light blinded me and I closed my eyes against the glare. I let go of the girl and stumbled backwards, feeling ill and tired. I looked down at my hands and saw they were clear, the scars from the fire faded to a memory. On my left hand was a golden ring, which made me gulp as beautiful blonde hair fell down my shoulders to tie at the back of my head. I was wearing a pale blue dress that hung off my shoulders, with a blue locket around my neck.

"Mama!" a voice called out and I responded immediately by turning around.

A small boy ran to me and clung to my skirts, his greyish skin seemed to fade into my skirts. He lifted his head to show me his beautiful blond hair but his eyes were a solid green, like ivy. I dropped to lift him up, holding him tight as I cried into his shoulder. He wrapped his small arms around my shoulders as I trembled, not sure how this boy managed to bring me to tears.

"Darling," another voice called and the boy and I turned to see a beautiful demon walking towards me.

His hair was dark brown and fell to his ears where he had brushed it back. His eyes were like the boy's and he was dressed like Sebastian…however he appeared like he came from money. He had a golden ring around his left hand as I did and put his hand through the boy's hair.

"Ciel," he said simply before leaning closer and kissing me on the lips.

"Jonathon," I whispered, the name sounded right on my lips and the demon responded.

"My darling Elena," he said with a smile, "not a day goes by that I have not loved you."

The boy, Ciel, looked between us before turning his attention to another corner. I looked over and spotted the cat and Sebastian watching me. I put Ciel down on the floor where he went to Jonathon and I went to Sebastian and the cat. They seemed oddly amused, though I felt like something was falling apart. I felt bonded to Jonathon, but not by a contract. When I had held Ciel, he had felt right in my arms…my son.

"Sebastian," I said as I got closer, "who are these people?"

"Your husband and son," he replied honestly and I looked to the cat.

"You named your son Ciel," he said and I looked over at the boy, and nodded, "why?"

"I knew someone with that name once," I said without thinking, "I felt my son could live up to the name."

The cat seemed to smile while Sebastian watched me. Jonathon lifted Ciel up into his arms and the boy laughed. It was a full sound, so happy. That boy had never seen a hard day in his short life.

"This is how it should have been," Sebastian stated simply, "had you never went to London with Lord Phantomhive after Berrymore died."

"You would have met Jonathon after he concluded a contract, and later, you were married. You had Ciel and live in London in a manor owned by your uncle though you could survive by your own wealth. Your uncle died by an unknown disease one day, so you are the heir to his business. You made a name for yourself, and often speak with Lord Phantomhive," the cat said as a tear escaped his eye.

"What happened after Lord Phantomhive left Houndsworth?" I asked and both men looked up at me.

"What do you mean?"

"Did he have a happy life?" I asked as I looked back to my son, "did he ever know who I was?"

Ciel ran over to me and I took his hand carefully in mine. His green eyes looked to Sebastian and then to the cat before pointing at the pair.

"They're like Daddy!" he said to me, "Demons!"

"Like you too, son," I said honestly, "and what am I?"

"Daddy says you're a special type of demon," Ciel responded, "Daddy says it makes you unique."

"You should continue your path," the cat said and I looked back at him, "find out what awaits you."

I let go of my son's hand and he faded like smoke. Jonathon disappeared as well and I wrapped my arms around my chest. It felt colder, like the world had dropped in temperature. I walked back over to the fungi and she grabbed my head and pushed my face to her left breast. The same odd light glowed around me and I let go…only to find myself in her arms. My black hair was tied into a small braid and I wondered what had happened to me now.

"You're four," a voice whispered and I looked to see Daddy walking towards me.

"Daddy!" I called out and the fungi let me go so I could run to him.

He picked me up and twirled me before holding me to his hip. He brought me over to Sebastian and the cat, giving Sebastian a smile before taking one of my hands.

"I will always love her," Daddy said softly, "I gave it all up for her."

"That takes a special type of soul," Sebastian replied as he looked to the cat, "this is Richard Cummins, Elena's biological father."

"Daddy," and I yawned before putting my head on his shoulder.

"You gave up contracts for her?" the cat asked and Daddy nodded, "why?"

"I wanted to protect her soul," Daddy responded, "and I wished to know her. I would have given everything up for her."

He put me down and faded like Ciel and Jonathon had. I looked back to the fungi who was reaching for me, only to push my face into her heart. I gasped and that light flickered before I was me again. I was in the blue dress that Lady Mouse had given me…and my hair was black.

"Everything should be as it was," I heard Sebastian say but when I looked back, they weren't there anymore.

"Little Alice, may I ask…is that your real name?" the caterpillar asked.

"No," I said, "my name is Elena Hamilton."

"That doesn't seem to fit here," he responded and the name faded like sand in an hourglass.

"Because it doesn't," I whispered.

**_It appears our dear Alice has faced the impossible. A future forever lost to her, because of the choices she made in a dream. But it does not matter, does it? She did tell the Cheshire Cat it didn't matter, that she regretted nothing. Perhaps there was one thing…something that will become clear shortly…._**


	8. Chapter 7: The White Rabbit Has A Hunch

I left the caterpillar and the mushroom who shortly after, decided to sprout wings and fly around the caterpillar before perching herself on his…well, they'd be legs to me. I pushed brambles and leaves out of my way as I ventured deeper into the forest, cursing myself for not asking Sebastian or the Cheshire Cat where I was supposed to go.

"I should have asked them or…" and I choked up at the thought of my little Ciel or Jonathon…or Daddy. They could have told me where I was supposed to go, and yet.

It was at that point that it began to rain in Wonderland. I lifted my head to feel the drops on my face, certain I had felt this before…in the dream. It unnerved me how that dream had affected me. It was almost as if…Wonderland wasn't real and that dream had been. The rain picked up and I ran for cover under a tree, wishing I had another dress to change into.

"Hey!" someone snapped and I turned around, looking for the person.

"Whose there?" I asked through chattering teeth when I couldn't see a person.

Teeth showed, a little pointed. Then black shoes and a blue suit which was followed by a blue eye and an eye-patch. The Cheshire Cat looked more than annoyed, so I stepped away from him and into the rain. The moment I stepped out, a leaf that was weighed by the rain decided to drop the water on me, soaking me through. I gasped at the feeling before wiping my eyes.

"You should get under cover," the cat said after a moment and the shock had disappeared.

"No, I'm fine," I chattered as I started walking again, "it will stop soon enough."

The moment those words were said, the rain got heavier still so I wrapped my arms across my chest and started moving. I would find somewhere to warm up and then go on with this trip.

"Master!" a voice snapped, "what exactly was your intention?"

"I didn't mean for her to get soaked!" the cat snapped back, "she bumped into me!"

"You were invisible, _master_!" the voice replied, "of course she bumped into you!"

"You told me I can't call her Elena," the cat said simply.

"You want her to remember you?" the voice asked, "she can't here, not until the very end."

I walked further away, and spotted a small cottage. I ran for it, slipping twice in mud before I was at the door and hitting it hard. It was opened by an angel with lavender hair who looked upset when she saw me.

"Oh dear, you must be freezing. Come in," she said and let me walk past her.

A fire was lit in the corner with another angel standing nearby, his wings glancing off the floor. It appeared almost as if there was a scar down one of his wings, like it had been ripped off. He turned his gaze to me and smiled at me.

"It's really coming down out there," he said and I nodded, "I'm certain Angela can find something for you to wear."

He helped me out of my wet clothes and wrapped me in a wool bathrobe. Angela ran me a bath which I enjoyed, feeling the cold being leeched out of my system and replaced by only warmth. I was dried and Angela helped me into a new corset and underclothes before putting me in a mint green dress with gloves and a black coat. The dress went above my knee as did the coat and I put on pale tights and then dark brown boots. Angela tied my hair up in a ponytail before bringing me into the living room and giving me some water.

"The rain appears to have stopped," Ash said after a moment.

"That's good," I said as I put the glass on the table, "thank you for your hospitality. I must go on with my trip."

"The next stop is the crossroads," Angela said as she walked over to Ash, "be carefully, there can only be one choice made."

I waved goodbye to them and left their small cottage, and started walking to my right. It was an odd road and stopped to be divided into a crossroads, offering two paths. One to the Mad Hatter with a small doll over the sign with a strange hat and the other was to the March Hare with a picture of a hare on the sign. I touched the doll gently and wondered whose idea had it been to direct people like that. Also, which path was I supposed to take?

"Should it be to the Mad Hatter or to the March Hare?" I asked myself, "which will help me?"

"The Mad Hatter could tell me where to go," I said after a moment, "he might be crazy enough to think I'm someone else…like…"

No person came to mind as I tilted myself to look down the left path, and towards the Mad Hatter. I looked behind me for a moment before deciding it was up to me. I could always turn around and come back, right? I walked to my left and followed the path straight, hearing a crow caw through what appeared to be a waste land. A dog barked and I turned to see a big black collie run to me.

"Julius!" I said as I dropped to hold the dog, put my hands through his fur and feel him lick my chin to my forehead. I laughed, and realised I hadn't laughed like that for a very a long time. I pulled back and Julius sat down, tilting his head to the side as I mirrored him.

"That's my boy," I said as he barked.

I stood up and put my hand out, and Julius moved to put his head under my hand before sitting again. He licked my wrist before putting his head on my hip. I rubbed his ears and his tail wiped with ground. I laughed again before looking down the path to the waste land.

"Am I going the right way?" I asked Julius.

"Woof!" he replied and I laughed.

"Better go speak with a Mad Hatter then," I said around a giggle and walked with Julius down the path.

(Ciel's POV)

It had been Sebastian's idea to give Elena a guide, in the form of her dead dog Julius. The black collie had appeared like thin air to lift his nose to the air and find Elena. He had then run at a mile a minute to get to her, which had only demonstrated their relationship.

"She really loved him," I said as the dog licked her face.

"He was a gift from her biological father," Sebastian said.

"A demon hound?" I asked.

"Far from it," Sebastian replied, "he was simply a dog, a black collie the size of a medium writing desk, but that is a dog."

"Julius," I said as Elena tilted her head to mimic the dog, "what is she doing?"

"As a child, she often played with her dog. Alice knew Julius but hasn't actually been in his company before."

"Elena is coming out," I said and Sebastian nodded, "how did you know that would work?"

"I didn't," he answered, "it was a hunch."

Elena stood and looked out on the path to the Mad Hatter, Julius at her side to give her support and keep her safe. This was the dog she had cried over, the dog that she had spoken about fondly to Sebastian. This dog loved cats…and now, he loved Elena as his everything. He would give his life for hers, as he had done in reality. I had no doubt this dog would do the same, if Elena was stuck in a building in Wonderland.

"Am I going the right way?" I heard Elena ask Julius.

"Woof!" he replied and she laughed.

"Better go speak with a Mad Hatter then," Elena said before she started walking with Julius down the path.

**So Alice or rather Elena, has been given something back. The young master seemed truly surprised that Julius was that size…I hadn't imagined it either. I had thought she described a small dog…not a small push cart. Though will Julius help or hinder her? She still has quite a trip to go…**


	9. Chapter 8: Fireflies Reveal The Truth

Julius stayed at my side, and my hand stayed near his head. His fur felt like rough silk, but it wasn't matted and shun in the small bit of sunlight we were exposed to. The path turned twisty and I decided to race Julius around corners. He didn't mind and kept up with me, never letting me take the lead and never for a moment leaving my side.

Julius froze a while later, and began to growl. I stopped running and looked for the danger. It was Angela and Ash, looking tired and annoyed. Julius stepped closer, putting himself between us.

"What a lovely dog," Angela said as she attempted to pat his head.

Julius's teeth grazed her skin when he went to bite her, a clear warning. I looked back at the pair, before taking a step back. Julius followed, not taking his eyes off the angels for even a moment.

"Alice, it's not safe. You should come with us," Angela said softly.

"No," I replied as I took another step.

"Why not?" Ash asked as he took a step closer and Julius glared at him.

"You're not good," I replied as I took another step, and Julius mimicked me.

"We gave you a pretty dress and food," Angela whispered in a purr.

"Julius has made his opinion clear," I snapped, feeling something break under pressure, "stay away from me!"

Angela started laughing and Ash was gone. Julius took his eyes off Angela to look for Ash before charging to my right at the angel, a sword in his hands ready to kill me. Julius was caught along his side but not before he bit into Ash's left arm. Julius twisted and dug his paws into the ground and went for Ash again…but Ash was ready.

"Julius!" I screamed before running to my weakened dog.

Angela caught my arms as I screamed, trying to twist out of her grip.

"Julius!" I sobbed, "I can't lose you again!"

Memories flooded to the fore of my mind of holding Julius as he died. I stopped struggling and fought against Angela. She had a dagger in her hands which I took off her and plunged into her heart. She looked confused before fading to dust. I looked at Julius and then to Ash, feeling anger like a boiling kettle. The dagger was at my side and I went towards Ash. It was all his fault, every pain I had ever suffered at the hands of him or Angela. The scars that marked me were the result of whispering into Berrymore's ears. And now…they had taken the one thing that I had loved since I was thirteen years old.

He raised his knife to strike me but I pushed it aside. It turned into a thread and I pushed the knife into his heart.

"May you burn in hell!" I said calmly before going to Julius.

"Oh baby," I whispered to the dog as I pulled him up into my lap, "you've done that before."

A memory wrapped around me, like golden fireflies, promising to keep me safe. Tears dripped down my face as I saw the truth of that evening, the evening when my parents died…

_Our house had never been overly large, it had been enough for the three of us and a guest. The outside had been painted a light yellow, to make our neighbours smile. The windows were white and the door was white to match. Flower pots were on the front windows outside my mother's room and that of the guest's room. Mixtures of white roses and red roses danced in the twilight air as I walked home._

_ The breeze was nice against my clammy skin, grateful for the few hours of reprieve before I was expected back at the Berrymore Castle to clean and cook for a man who didn't care if I was killed by the Berrymore Hound in the morning. Angela had seen to it that he had a very low opinion of me, starting with the people I was friends with and moved up to include James. Now, neither of us spoke, afraid of what might be said when we uttered 'hello' to each other. Scott had fuelled the fire of rumours to disguise Annie Halford's pregnancy, but nothing to hide the bump that she had to wear her mother's dresses to cover. _

_ I put my hand up to tie some hair behind my right ear, the wind having shook it loose from my small braid. I stopped for only a moment to see my house, my home. The one place I had always felt safe in, the one place where nothing could go wrong. Mother had lost another baby only a week previous, and her heart was breaking. She loved me, considered me her one perfect thing, but I knew she wanted to feel a child in her arms again. Father was as distressed as her, however he managed to conceal it._

_ I spotted a small lump of black fur which responded when I got closer to the house. Julius always stayed outside to wait for me, to make sure I was safe. I touched his head, and he licked my hand. He could probably taste the chicken grease from tonight's dinner that I had spent hours preparing. I wiped my hands on my skirt and entered the house._

_ I watched as I closed the door, knowing that my parents were inside, partially dead already. A fire was lit in the house and it was slowly eating everything I had considered safe. My view stayed outside, seeing a new side of events. I could hear the chainsaw turning on, my screams for Greil to not hurt my parents. Julius got up and hit the door, trying to open it. When that didn't work, he moved around to the back of the house and put his weight against the back door._

_ That was when something in one of the bedrooms ignited, spreading the fire higher. Julius howled and moved back to the front door. It was open now, and I was screaming as the smoke billowed around me, smothering me. Julius barked, to tell me he was coming, that he wouldn't leave me alone, and my rasping voice told him to stay. But he charged in._

_ I watched as he pulled me by my skirt and my boot to drag me out of the house. I was too weak to fight back and he pulled me out into the twilight air. Though now, the smoke coated the sky and made it look like midnight. Julius moved to use his nose to push me over the threshold. Once I was over, I noticed we weren't alone. There were other villagers there, gathered to find out if anyone had survived…but there was someone standing over the beam above the front door. Her wings were like dove feathers, and her hair was pulled up._

_ The fire didn't appear to touch her as she pressed her foot down on the beam, splintering the wood. If the fire hadn't been burning, I would have heard the beam. Julius got me out of danger as Angela pushed her foot down harder, forcing the beam to break in half…and forcing it to fall on Julius. My dog had stuck his tongue out to me, to tell me everything was okay now…when the beam fall on his back. The sound of bones breaking would haunt me in my nightmares as I screamed._

_ Neighbours whispered about Julius as I got to my knees and put my hands on the burning hot beam to lift it off Julius. He growled at me and I lifted it off him. Someone reached out and pulled Julius away before I dropped the beam with a deafening thud to the floor. I then turned to see Mr Roberts was holding Julius carefully. He put the dog in my lap, telling me to be careful as Julius had horrible burns on his back. He also warned me that Julius couldn't survive, that it was time for me to say goodbye to my best friend._

_ I buried my face in Julius's fur and sobbed, feeling the weight of the events on my shoulders. My parents were dead, my dog was dying and I was the only one left of the Hamiltons in Houndsworth. Julius lifted his mouth to lick me carefully, aware somehow that I was hurt more than emotionally. _

_"That's my boy," I whispered to the dog, "I love you Julius."_

_ He whimpered before I watched the life fade from him. First his body began to chill, compared to the fire near me and then his eyes…his beautiful dark brown eyes closed forever to my world. I lifted him up a little to cry, knowing no one could understand what I had lost today. No one could see through my eyes and know the pain I felt. No one had ever faced a pain worse than mine as I sat there, crying before Mr Roberts got Mr Ricci to take Julius from me. It was for my own good, that's what they both said as Mr and Mrs Roberts brought me to their house._

_ It was then my wounds were treated, and I was given scotch. The next morning…I was back in work at Berrymore's order…_

(Ciel's POV)

Sebastian managed to show me what happened that evening when Elena was sixteen. I had seen her cry and become a shell of the girl she had been. I still held the opinion that what I had gone through had been worse…but only slightly compared to that. As the new Earl, I had been given my chance to grieve. Elena had never gotten that, forced to work the next morning when her hands were burnt, when her skin was ashen from shock.

"She went the next morning?" I asked Sebastian as the life faded from Julius once more.

"She had no choice," Sebastian replied, "it was that or be removed from Berrymore's employ. She didn't want to ask for favours…not after what Scott had done to her."

"He spread rumours of her unhinged mind," I remembered and Sebastian nodded.

"Sometimes, the road not taken may have been a reprieve," he said after a moment, "had she refused you, she could have lived into her sixties with her children and grandchildren. She could have gone on the boat with her uncle and been killed by desperate men. But the future she could have had with James or that of Jonathon, could have been worth more to her than gold."

"She told me once had she a family when I asked her to come to London, she would have stayed. If that had been James…what would he have done?"

"Told her to take the job, that he couldn't support her and their children," Sebastian stated honestly, "Jonathon however, had enough money from false names and removed souls to keep her happy. But she never took more than she would ever need."

Fireflies glowed around me and I looked up at Sebastian, wondering what was happening.

"You won't know her," Sebastian whispered calmly, "and she won't know you other than business…"

_"Young master," Sebastian voice called out, "Lady Rawlings is here to see you."_

_"Let her in," I replied as Sebastian opened the door to show me the woman._

_ Her hair was like raven's feathers, the curls fell down her shoulders as Sebastian helped her out of her coat. Her skin was ivory in one light while almost ashen in another. Her lips were a pale pink and her eyes were the warmest chocolate brown I had ever seen. She was wearing a pale blue summer dress with sleeves to her elbows and a heart shaped neckline. A squeal of delight echoed behind her and she put her hand out without looking to hold the small hand of a boy._

_"Do excuse me, Earl Phantomhive," she said with a smile, "my husband bought my son the newest Bitter Rabbit."_

_"Mama!" the boy called as he showed her the rabbit, "it has an…an…"_

_ The boy pointed at the eye-patch and looked to her for the answer. She looked down briefly with a smile on her face that said everything. She adored the child beside her, would stand in front of him like Sebastian would me. Sebastian would be protecting his dinner, she would respond to maternal instinct alone._

_"An eye-patch," Lady Rawlings said softly before looking back at me._

_"This is my son," she said softly as the boy looked up and hid behind her skirts, only blond hair visible, "Ciel Rawlings."_

_"Hello…Earl," the boy said from her skirts._

_"He has the same name as me," I said to Sebastian and Lady Rawlings nodded._

_"I remembered a Ciel from my past," she said simply, "and I believed my son could live up to the name. Ciel," and both her son and I looked up, "you must show the earl respect."_

_"Yes Mama," he replied and took a deep breath before stepping away from her skirts, the rabbit held tight in his hands._

_ She put her hand out to him and he took it, clearly still rather young. I had only recently passed my eighteenth birthday and Elizabeth was my wife. Lady Rawlings took a seat in front of me, her son looking out of place before he settled for sitting on her dress hems and playing with the rabbit toy._

_"Do you want some tea, my lady?" Sebastian asked._

_"If the earl is having something to drink," she replied as she looked over to me._

_"Earl Grey," I said to Sebastian._

_"Yes, my lord," he responded before leaving me in my office with Lady Rawlings._

_"How old is your son?" I asked._

_"He'll be four next October," she replied, "you've only recently turned eighteen. A belated happy birthday."_

_"Thank you," I replied as she smiled at me._

_ I could picture the maid vaguely, her black hair shorter and her smile not as easy to come by. This woman had seen something to make that smile bright. Maybe it was the boy beside her or the husband she had married. But something made her more approachable. Sebastian returned with the tea and gave her a cup before me, setting a small glass of orange juice in front of the little boy. Ciel smiled up at my butler before he played with the rabbit again._

_"You called for me?" Lady Rawlings said plainly as she sipped her tea._

_"I want to know the details of the last shipment," I replied and she frowned._

_"My boats have been ever-moving, you have to be a bit particular if you want details. I understand my uncle had a way of organising business but he did not give me such information. What boat are you talking about?"_

_"Destiny," I replied and she nodded, "what was on that last shipment?"_

_"Immigrants," she replied honestly, "near death and worried. It appears someone in London was organising their transit but only a handful survived."_

_"And what did you do with them?" Sebastian asked._

_ Lady Rawlings put her tea cup down and touched her son's shoulder. He looked up at her before nodding and running off. Moments passed before he returned, holding a folder the size of the Bitter Rabbit lying down and put it in his mother's hands. She kissed him lightly on the forehead before handing him a Funtom sweet. He took it slowly and unwrapped it carefully._

_"I asked each of the survivors a series of questions spanning six days," Lady Rawlings said simply as she held the folder out to me, "some spoke on the first day while others had to be…persuaded to speak with me."_

_"With what exactly?" I asked as I looked over the questions._

_"Food," she replied, "I wanted to know why twenty men used my boat to travel to London. It turns out, they used a fault in the anchor's holding to get on board. From there, they pushed on the storage room handle and entered the cargo hold. My men wouldn't have noticed them."_

**_(Sound familiar? If it doesn't, let me remind you. Using this same trick, Elena got Ciel onto Destiny in 'The Phantomhive's New Maid' when they needed to return to England from France.)_**

_"Lady Rawlings..." I started when she frowned._

_"Please," she said as a smile came back in place, "call me Elena…"_

What had that been? The fireflies faded to nothing and the path ahead of me was blank. Elena had gone, Julius had faded and only Ash's body still decorated the road. Sebastian stood at my side and looked down at me.

"What was that?" I asked him.

"What never happened," he replied, "because she followed a different path, chose a different future. That was what could have been."

"Why did you show that to me?"

He ignored me before moving forward, his bunny ears slightly distracting before he looked back at me. He looked tired, and I knew that when this was over, we still needed to bury Elena Hamilton's body.

"Come young master," he said simply, "we have an invitation from the Queen to attend a trial."

"Whose?" I asked as I walked towards him.

"Alice's," he replied.

**A future once lost can never be returned. Once a path was picked, you can never return to decide on another course of actions. Alice may have picked the Mad Hatter's trail, but will he tell her where to go? She can't go back, nor revisit old places. Her adventure is ever-moving forward, but what will she do at the end? **

**The young master simply can't be patient, he's demanding I stop narrating and answer one of his questions. Hold on but a moment…**

**(One hour later…)**

**…the young master simply asked me for tea. I'm surprised he doesn't know how to boil water by himself…**

**…Bard! Put down that flamethrower!**

**But dinner….?**

**Dinner is not cooked with a flamethrower! Excuse me ladies and gentlemen, enjoy the rest of the story…give me the flamethrower…**


	10. Chapter 9: An Unusual Bunch Of People

I walked away from Julius, my head aching. I didn't want to remember anything, it hurt too much. Julius had died before…and I had been scarred. I looked down at my hands and saw the dark pink skin, marking exactly where my hands had been burnt. But the memories didn't stop there. The floodgates were open, and now…now I could see memories of a river before going to an island to die. I knew now, that dream I had thought about had been real…and Wonderland was the dream. The dream of a dead girl…

"Make it stop," I sobbed before falling to my knees, "don't let me remember."

"Who are you asking for help?" a voice asked and I looked up to see Daddy looking at me curiously.

"Daddy!" I sobbed before running to him, and he wrapped his arms protectively around me.

"Don't worry Ellie, I'm here," he said softly, "I won't leave you like before."

"Please!" I whispered, "let me be Alice again. Make it all go away."

"You don't want that," Daddy whispered as he placed a kiss on my forehead, "I've been there."

"What do you mean?" I asked as I pulled away to look into his brown eyes.

"I wanted to forget everything, and I did for a time. But forgetting it will only make it worse. Everything you have ever done, the people you met…it's like it never happened to begin with. So don't wish to forget…now, go on through the thorns and you'll find the Mad Hatter," and Daddy faded like sand.

I looked around and spotted a small hole in a hedge with thorns sticking out almost in warning. Daddy had told me that was where I had to go, so I could get to the Mad Hatter. I took a deep breath and ventured closer, worry making my heart race faster. As I reached the opening, I could see it would take a good amount of care to navigate without injuring myself in the process.

I sat on the opening before dropping myself in, my hand coming down on a thorn in the process. I screamed as the pain spread throughout my arm and down my back. I lifted my head and I saw something, something that made me grit my teeth and push on, ignoring the thorns. I saw Ciel, little Ciel and he was crying. He was calling my name, looking for me.

"Ciel!" I screamed and the boy looked up at me, "I'm coming!"

"Leny!" he called back and I pushed on, the clothes ruined before I even took the last step.

(Ciel's POV)

"Ciel, I'm here," Elena whispered as she got out of the thorn pit and ran to a smaller version of me.

Blood dripped from her hand down the back of my small body as she cradled me close to her chest. She held me tight, refusing to let me go as the false tears were switched with the real ones. Her black hair scratched my skin but it felt so real, it felt right to me. Elena sat back on her heels and wiped away my tears, and I noticed the tears forming on her eyelashes. My bodyguard…Elena Hamilton…

"You don't ever need to cry," she whispered to me, "I'm always here for you."

"You left me," I whispered and she sighed before holding me to her chest again.

Over her shoulder I spotted my demon butler, watching our exchange with anxious eyes. He hadn't wanted me to do this, that it would break her. But I had stated that Elena couldn't ignore a crying child. It was against her nature, she wanted to stop them crying. A child would have gotten her moving but I could have gotten her out of the pit faster. I was like a brother to her, and she couldn't stand me crying. She had wiped away my tears as she died, not wanting anyone to cry over her.

"Oh Ciel," she whispered, her voice cracking with emotion, "I wish I didn't have to. I wish I could see you grow up, but it was my time…"

I left her there then, not wanting to hear her say anything else to make me hate Alois Trancy any less. I would hate him with every fibre of my body for what he had taken from me. What he was too selfish to give or let live. He could have ordered Elena to move on and should Hannah find her with me, death would be her punishment. There would have been ways around that, and Elena could have known that.

But the fact that she knew she was destined to die, it was like a slap to my face. Could she not see how hurt I was? How much I missed her? I didn't want to say goodbye to her.

(Elena's POV)

My arms grew colder and when I opened them, Ciel was gone. I got to my feet and wiped my eyes quickly. My name, my real name, faded like sand in a sieve once more and I walked forward.

"I wonder why I was crying," I whispered to myself before moving on.

The iron-gate in front of me was over two foot taller than I was, and decorated with horses and tea cups. Ribbons decorated the metal rungs and they seemed oddly familiar. I shook my head and reached in to pull the lever to open the gate. I stepped in and closed it behind me, catching a glimpse of my tattered attire. How had that happened? I stepped further into the property, seeing three oddly dressed people, with only two looking at me.

"There is no more room," a hare said and I looked at the table.

"Exactly as he said," a man with a top hat said as he sipped his tea.

"May I borrow a coat off you then?" I asked as I held up the ripped tunic top, "so I can continue on my adventure?"

"I will find you the most exquisite gown," the top hat said before running off to a trunk to pull at different clothes.

"Who are you?" the hare asked.

"Alice," I replied but the name felt wrong, "I think anyway."

"Here we are!" the top hat said simply as he lifted up a red dress.

It was to my knees with the ends surrounded by red lace. The bodice was shaped in a heart and the neck covered in red lace down to my elbows where it flared. Top hat brought over the dress and started changing me. A new corset was put on me as well as new stockings and boots before the dress was allowed to touch my skin. My hair was brushed and a small red hat was put on my head. He lifted my hand and bandaged it, telling me I had hurt it a while ago…and not even noticed.

"Thank you," I said simply.

"Please have a seat," a voice said softly and I looked towards the back of another person.

"Only if the others allow me," I said softly.

"The Dormouse is talking in his sleep again," the hare muttered.

"Dormouse?" I asked and the pair nodded, "where does one get such a name?"

"He's always speaking in Dormy," the top hat replied, "and we didn't want to insult his kind."

I stepped closer to view his face. He had grey ears on his head which was surrounded by blond and black hair. He had a pair of glasses on his nose and appeared to be sleeping. He looked about my age, if not a little younger. I reached out carefully to move his hair out of his eyes which he opened to see my hand as I pulled it away. They were an odd green and yellow combination.

"Hello," the Dormouse said softly as he yawned, "are you here for the Mad Tea Party?"

"Please have a seat," the top hat insisted before putting me at the other end of the long dining table, "I'm the Mad Hatter and that man over there is the March Hare."

"Nice to meet you all," I replied as I was set at the table, "my name is Alice."

"Do you want a cup of tea?" the Dormouse asked as he yawned.

"If it isn't too much trouble," I replied as the Mad Hatter returned to the top of the table to pour me some tea.

Some tea turned into a small waterfall as the Mad Hatter poured more and more in, spilling it on the table and himself before deciding it was full enough. He held the cup out precariously which the March Hare took with what appeared to be garden shears and extended it out to me. I carefully took the plate and placed it on the table, not sure how I was supposed to start drinking it.

"Sugar?" the Mad Hatter asked and I looked up to see he had joined me.

"One or two cubes," I replied as he dropped near twenty into the cup.

Each new piece of sugar split some of the tea and I knew not to tell him to stop. It was his tea party, and I was the guest. He touched the rim of the cup and dropped down to be level with my left ear.

"Take a look at the cup," he whispered to me.

I looked into the liquid and saw an image that brought tears to my eyes. A small boy, frightened and sick. I wiped my eyes as I watched myself bend down to take his hand in mine.

"Oh Ciel," I whispered, mirroring what I had said, "please sleep easy. Uncle can wait for me…"

_ Uncle had ran a meeting late, leaving me with the Phantomhives until nearly ten at night. It was half eight when the incident occurred. Ciel had grown wary, and I had taken it for tiredness. I had stopped reading and held the boy in my arms as he shivered, coughing and whimpering. He raised his hands to hold one of mine, the coughing got worse as I held him._

_"Ciel," I whispered and then he got sick._

_ I knew my dress was ruined so I carefully lifted a section to wipe his lips. His breathing was rough. This wasn't normal so I carefully picked up the boy and held him on my back. Only Rachel was in the house, Elizabeth long gone. I walked out to the entry way but no one was there. Ciel was tossing and shaking on my back, his breathing worsening. So I did the only thing I could; I screamed._

_"Rachel!" I called at the top of my voice._

_ A door opened further down the hall and Lady Phantomhive looked unsure. She was dressed in a beautiful purple dress and her blonde hair was loose around her shoulders. I moved towards her and she looked anxious._

_"What is it Elena?" she asked._

_"Ciel," I said and she spotted the small boy on my back._

_"Bring him in here, I'll call my sister," and I put Ciel in on a chaise lounge._

_ I found a blanket on a chair, one that was warm and suggested Rachel had been using up until I screamed for her. I put it around Ciel and found a small pillow to put under his head. He was still shaking so I took one of his hands in mine and started singing to him, tears running down my face._

_ Time passed as it inevitably does and the door to the study opened. A woman dressed in red appeared and walked to the other side of the chair. She touched Ciel's head carefully and I looked for Rachel and spotted Vincent looking down at his son, worry creasing his brow._

_"What happened to him?" I asked._

_"He has asthma," Vincent replied, "he had an asthma attack."_

_ I looked back to the small boy and touched his face gently, only to start humming to him. My dress was uncomfortable and I ended up falling asleep at his side. I only woke up when a blanket was wrapped around me. I looked up to see Rachel as she tucked in the dark pink throw around me._

_"Your uncle will collect you in the morning," she whispered to me, "you seem to make Ciel calmer."_

_ I looked to the boy and saw his breathing had deepened and he was sound asleep. He had turned onto his side, closest to me with his hand clutching mine. I squeezed it gently and put my head down again, only for sleep to take me once more. After that day, I kept my eye on Ciel for signs that his asthma was acting up. A part of me, even as the maid, had been looking for anything. Because a part of me never wanted to see Ciel like that again…_

The image faded from the cup and all that was left was the mirror of me, crying before I roughly wiped those tears away.

"Memories are such femoral things," the Mad Hatter said simply as he held out a tissue for me, "you had to travel light to come here, little Alice."

"How could I forget that?" I asked around the tissue.

"Let's lighten the mood with a table quiz!" the Mad Hatter said simply, "starting with you Alice, why is a raven like a writing desk?"

"You have two hours to answer the question," the March Hare said simply.

"Did you get your watch repaired?" the Dormouse asked and the March Hare shook his head.

"I have a watch here," I whispered as I took out a pocket-watch, unsure where it had come from.

"Very good," March Hare said as he took the watch, "your time starts now."

Why was a raven like a writing desk? A raven could fly whereas a writing desk couldn't. A raven had two legs compared to a table's four. There was nothing really similar to them, nothing I could think of. I stood and dropped my hand on the bell, hearing a pop behind me as balloons exploded.

"The first bell to ring is Alice!" March Hare stated.

"They aren't alike," I said softly, "there is nothing similar between them."

I watched them as they all started to smile and a bell chimed to tell me I had gotten the right answer. I looked to my left and spotted small dolls in the shape of the Dormouse, the white rabbit and the Cheshire Cat. I lifted the cat up to look at and spotted a small eye-patch drawn on. I needed to find him and tell him everything was alright. I put the idol down and the men looked at me.

"I was hoping you could tell me where I'm supposed to go from here," I said as I left my seat to walk closer, "there is someone I'm looking for."

"Your next stop will be with the Queen Of Hearts," March Hare said, though he sounded disgusted.

The sound of carriage wheels pulled my attention from the men as a carriage appeared in front of me. The driver was one of the men from the boat, the older man. The other three dropped out to lift fine parchment in front of me.

"An invitation for Alice from the Queen we present today," the woman said.

"An invitation from the Queen for Alice we present today," the older blond said with a smile.

"We present to Alice from the Queen an invitation today," the younger blond said with a cheerful grin.

I walked towards them and the young blond caught my arm to dance with me. I laughed, it seemed such an odd sound before I passed to someone I would recognise anywhere. Uncle Frank Hamilton took my hands carefully and twirled me in a tight circle. Music played softly as he held me tight, so tight I could smell rose oil on his shirt. His hair was like Father's and his eyes were just as friendly. The circle grew ever larger as the plum woman and the older blond joined in our dance. As the music hit higher notes, Uncle lifted me off my feet before putting me carefully on the floor. I had danced to this song before, but with someone else.

"Come now, Leny," Uncle said softly, "we should get you to the Queen."

I nodded before running back to the Mad Tea Party. I hugged each man individually before running to the carriage and climbing in. The door was closed and I was sat down at the window. Uncle wasn't coming with and the three others smiled at me.

(Mad Hatter's POV)

Memories are such fading things, you can't keep one straight before you are bombarded with another. In my hand, in the tea, were two small children. One with brown hair while the other had long black hair. Her eyes were watching the boy as he leaned closer and kissed her softly on the lips. She leaned into him before pulling away. She said something to him before running off in the rain. The memory continued with the boy sighing before he went into his home, his love (in his own belief) unrequited. Unaware that the young girl, our young Elena, loved him quite dearly.

Did she know yet how much she regretted not staying with James? Alice was here, so maybe, it wouldn't be much longer before she saw what she had lost. A letter arrived by way of a small flying piglet addressed to myself and my companions. A message from the Queen to attend the trial of the century…the trial of our very naïve Alice…

** As Alice speeds off towards the palace of the Queen of Hearts, her adventure is coming to a close. The Queen, however, has very different plans of her own, or rather his own. He simply can't stand someone taking attention from him, especially when I'm nearby. How will Alice cope? **


	11. Chapter 10: The Final Test

The carriage pulled to a stop outside a train station and the three people told me to wait for the Red Heart Express. I disembarked from the carriage and watched it go, wondering why seeing them leave made me anxious. I wrapped my arms around myself and headed into the station.

There were four people there already, and two of them looked like cards. One of the cards, a nine of diamonds, turned at my approach and moved towards me. He had a red head with bright red eyes.

"I'm looking for the Red Heart Express," I said and he nodded before pulling a ticket free.

"The train will be here in two minutes," he said as I took the ticket, "the first trip is free."

I nodded and walked out onto the platform, my heart racing as a soft breeze circled me. I lifted my hand to put my hair right and I realised I wasn't alone. To my right was Lady Mouse dressed in black and near her was the Mock Turtle, a handkerchief ready to catch tears. I wanted to ask them what was wrong but something told me I would find out soon enough.

A beautiful train pulled up on the platform, pale red with darker red hearts drawn on. The doors opened and I stepped on where a man held out his hand for my ticket. I showed it to him and he pointed me towards the top of the train. I walked on, not sure where the others were going before I took my seat in a compartment all by myself. It reminded me of how alone I was here. Maybe Ciel would be at the next station and I could tell him the truth. I fixed my skirts and settled in for a very long trip, one with no one to talk to.

"You shouldn't look so glum," a woman said softly to my right, "you're going to the palace."

"Am I?" I asked her, "no one told me that was where I was going."

"Oh my," she said, her blonde hair falling free around her shoulders and her bright cerulean blue eyes glowed, "well, can I get you something for the trip?"

"What is there?" I asked her.

"Anything you want," she said with a smile.

"A piece of…lemon meringue pie and a glass or Mr Roberts' famous scotch," I said as I looked out the window.

"Be back in a moment," she said as the door to the compartment closed.

"Why must I be alone?" I asked my reflection.

The woman returned and had a plate of pie and a tall glass of the scotch for me. She left me to that as I sipped the drink, remembering the days I had wanted to taste it. Mr Roberts had a skill, one that should have been known in Houndsworth. I wanted to share this drink with others…but there was no one here but me.

The train crept on, following the tracks laid down to direct it. I wanted to believe that…that I hadn't died for nothing. There had been a lot of things I had wanted to do, but now I couldn't. Did Ciel know that? That I had wanted more than he could ever give me but I had given it all up to save him. No, I wouldn't want him to know. I wouldn't want him to regret anything. He had more important things to do.

The train left the tracks to fly through the sky, but not even that could bring my mood up. Instead, I pictured a different world, a different time. Jonathon Rawlings and how we had met. How we had gotten to know each other without him killing me. Our son, our beautiful boy named Ciel. The carriage door opened and someone sat across from me, staying very quiet until I looked away from the window at them.

Jonathon Rawlings looked even nicer than what I had imagined. His dark brown hair was cropped short and his skin was ashen. But the light outside the train gave it an almost pink glow. His eyes were a beautiful ivy green with hints of red in their depths. His smile seemed pure and genuine, his clothes fit him perfectly. He dressed like Vincent Phantomhive had, and looked as curious. His eyes looked me over before putting one leg over the other. I spotted a signet ring on his right hand, a small horse with the letter R engraved underneath.

"My darling," he said softly, his voice was like silk.

"Jonathon," I whispered as tears dropped down my cheeks.

He got up and moved to sit beside me, holding me close to his chest as I cried. His hand ran down carefully through my hair, soothing me as if he had done so before. He held me until my sobs reverted to hiccups and then he pulled back to put my hair behind my ears. His eyes were soft and warm, suggesting that I was the only person who could make this demon feel.

"Jonathon," I whispered and he nodded, "how did we meet?"

"You were a maid," he answered truthfully, "working for a household in Low Row. On the days you had off, you looked after your uncle as he was ill. One morning, you left your home to go to your job, for a house known as Rawlings. You had worked for the wife, a woman named Denise and her husband, Fredrick. I was to be their son. You had spoken with me in passing on many occasions, telling me tales of a life you could have lived. I found you oddly amusing. I was in a contract with Denise Rawlings, and she wanted her husband killed. He had upset her far too many times, and you knew that. Finally, she gave me my order and I killed her husband…and subsequently, I killed her.

"I returned to Low Row to settle debts when I saw you. You were outside the house, and saw it was for sale. No one had given you warning, it was assumed you would be working that day. I had put out the sign and it was then it began to rain. I brought over an umbrella for you and you shivered before looking up at me. It was then I knew I loved you. Your eyes were clear with small drops of rain on your eyelashes. Your black hair was loose around your shoulders and you were wearing a thin pink dress.

"I asked you if you were alright. And you said it all. You told me you knew I was a demon, that you had hoped to get a little extra work done before the contract was concluded. I was astonished that you took it so easily, so well. I offered to bring you back to your uncle and you agreed. We spoke most of the way back and I built up the courage to ask you to accompany me to the funeral for form's sake. You agreed, and we never spent a moment apart after that.

"We married a year to the day we first met and shortly later you had Ciel. You were well, a happy mother, when the call came that said your uncle had passed away. That call informed you that you were the new heir to your uncle's trading company. He had never married, never had a child to hand his business to. So it all went to you in the will. We moved then to London, so you could be close to the company and spend more time with your son.

"Ciel grew up, and at age two, you were contacted by Ciel Phantomhive to discuss business. You stayed in contact through the phone or with the butler who I recognised as a demon. When Ciel was four, you decided to show him the business and inform him that all of this could be his. He wanted it, and you brought him to meetings with the Guard Dog to show him how to behave with high class people. Though you were of the same class now because of your uncle, you wanted your son to understand what it was like to be someone lower.

"You helped the Earl with many things, and helped the Queen in the process. We had another child, a daughter, which you named Andrea after your mother. Ciel was eight when she was born. When you turned forty, you suffered the same illness as your uncle had. You couldn't get out of bed, you were too weak. You sent Ciel to mind the business as he was twenty one then. Andrea was at home learning as she was thirteen. I watched over our children while taking care of you. I passed messages to the Earl when he asked for reports. I also made sure he was aware that he would be talking to either myself or Ciel Rawlings as you were unable to attend him.

"On your forty-second birthday, you passed away. The disease had lowered your immune system past critical and you couldn't stay awake for very long. Ciel shared the business with Andrea and I stayed nearby. Ciel married a young girl named Rose and Andrea married a demon named Markus. They survived into their hundreds, the disease counteracted by my genes. But I stayed in London, stayed near your grave before I walked away. I signed more contracts, but every year on your anniversary and ours, I would put a rose on your grave. I wasn't the only one. A white sterling rose was put on your grave every week by the one and only Ciel Phantomhive, or by his butler. That's what your life would have been like, had you spent it with me."

I sat back to think about that, and found I liked it. I had two children, a boy and a girl. They had married and done their own thing. They had long lives, longer than I could have imagined. The train returned to the tracks and I looked up to see Jonathon was gone. I sat back in my chair, lifting the glass of scotch once more to my lips before I toasted.

"To Ciel and Andrea," I said before taking a drink, "to Ciel Phantomhive."

I put the glass down and waited for the train to come to a stop. Once it did, I stepped out of my compartment and out into the hall where a familiar man was unpacking luggage. I stepped out and saw a palace. It was a brilliant white with red heart monuments decorating it. No one else was disembarking from the train so as I stepped down, I noticed why the man had been so familiar. Sebastian Michaelis was walking around, no shirt on. His suit trousers were black as were his shoes. He had a bow tie around his neck with a number and a symbol. But they weren't the Sebastian Michaelis I knew. These were copies of the original, and I could tell when they looked at me. Their eyes looked like watered down brown, not dark red.

"Can one of you tell me where to go?" I asked a group of the clones.

"On towards the castle," one replied.

"Follow me," another said and I followed him.

No bunny additions and he looked pale even in this light. He was muscled, but with half of the things I had seen Sebastian do, was that really a surprise? The clone brought me down a long line of other Sebastians before opening a door for me. I walked in and he closed it behind us, enveloping me in darkness. I wrapped my arms around myself as he brought me into another room, a beautiful red room.

The floor was red carpet and the walls were a deeper red. Sebastians stood near portraits of a woman…or a man in red. Two stood near me as the one I had been following brought me to a booth.

"Wait here," he said and I nodded before he left the room.

Lady Mouse appeared and walked over to a small bench to sit down. Her maid sat near her before the Wonderland glow faded. They were Elizabeth and Paula, no longer the mouse or dodo maid. Bard, MeyRin and Finny walked in as well. Claude Faustus took a seat on the other side of the hall with Alois Trancy clinging to him as Hannah Anfeloz sighed. The triplets took their seats behind them. Fred Abberline sat in the middle of their bench with my mother and father. Daddy took a seat near Bard. Tanaka settled for the floor while Berrymore and Angela leaned against the wall. Ash and the Queen stood near them as with Soma and Agni. There were so many people here, and no clear reason why.

"Presenting her Majesty, the Queen Of Hearts. Leader of all creatures great and small, most beautiful and deadly efficient woman in all of Wonderland. Administrator of justice and management material…"

"Are you reading out her job resume?" March Hare asked, looking overworked.

"I present to you today, The Queen!" Sebastian Clone called out.

A door opened and the person who came out confused me. Was it a man or a woman? Their red hair was long and spiky. Their eyes were a yellow and green combination as with the March Hare and the Dormouse. Her dress was long and made of beautiful red that had no back. In her hands was a bright red chainsaw and she put it near the throne before sitting down. It was then that I realised it was Greil Sutcliff, also known as the Reaper in love with Sebastian. But that name faded like all the others when the horns blew and red streamers came down around him.

"I will now call this trial of Alice into session!" the Queen called out in a masculine voice, "the accused Alice is sentenced to death!"

Everyone started talking at once, no one being heard.

"We will have order in the court," Sebastian clone said in his English accent, "please quiet down everyone."

"Off with her head!" the Queen called out, "off with it immediately!"

"What?" I asked as two Sebastians moved to hold my arms, "hold on! You didn't charge me with anything or ask for evidence!"

"Must we?" the Queen asked, "that is rather a lot of paperwork."

"Not that you've done any," March Hare muttered, receiving a dirty look from the Queen.

"You can't charge me like that!" I said, my voice cracking a little, _I don't want to die_

"Read the charges," the Queen sighed as one clone picked up a pile of paper.

"The accused Alice was born on the 14th November 1871," a clone said as he scanned the pages, "and died the 26th August 1889 aged seventeen."

"I object!" I snapped, "what does my birthday and my…my death have anything to do with this?!"

"Everything," the Queen replied, "now be silent."

"Witness, you are requested to take the stand," the clone called out.

Lady Elizabeth walked forward, her dress a beautiful black affair. Tears dripped down her face as she sighed heavily. She lifted her head to look at me, brushing some of her hair away from her face, showing the court how young she really was.

"Miss, you were wronged by the accused. Please tell the court your story," Sebastian's clone said simply.

"I'll try," she replied before looking up to the Queen, "Alice was my closest friend, a girl who treated me like someone who mattered. Then she left me, she protected my fiancé from dying, but she left me, and now he has left me as well. And it is all because of Alice!"

"I did that…" I whispered.

Paula stepped up to collect Lady Elizabeth and bring her to her chair. The next witness stood and walked up to the stand.

"I lost all my days that could have been," Igor called out, the man from the Tower, "because of her and that butler."

He took his seat as Soma ran up to put his hands on the stand before anyone could call up differently.

"I lost a good friend and a girl I loved," he said as he looked up at me, "she was the only other person who could make me see reason. I've lost that and it's all because of Alice!"

"I lost my sanity," Angela Blanc said as she glared at me, "forcing me to act against what I wanted. And that is because of Alice!"

"I did no such thing!" I snapped at her, "you were mad before I arrived at Berrymore Castle!"

"I lost my maid to another shit," Alois Trancy said as he flicked his hair back, "and she refused to come back and work for me! That's because of her!"

"She was incapable of the most mediocre task, that it forced me to work far more. That's because of her!" Claude said in a loud monotone.

"I was being beaten!" I snapped at the pair.

"She conspired against the master," Canterbury said.

"She had nice boobs," Timber said.

"I liked her hair," Thompson commented.

"She may not have been my daughter, but I loved her none the less. I will not blame her for my death, as I had a life I would not trade for anything," Father said as he blew me a kiss and went to his seat.

"She became everything I had wanted, when I could have no more children. I, like my husband, will not blame her for my murder. She made it easy to get out of bed in the mornings," Mother said as she smiled at me and went to Father.

"She was mischievous, beautiful and purely a demon's daughter. Yet, she was never selfish. My daughter may have been the best of me. She was a reason for me to give up contracts, so I could be there for her to grow up," Daddy said simply before walking over to Mother.

"I lost all the days that could have been," Jonathon said softly, "I lost the woman I would do anything for. I lost my chance to have a family. But I will not blame my darling Alice."

"I lost the girl I loved," James said softly, "but I know now that she loved me."

"She upset my master on many occasions but her soul was pure. She said she cared for both of them in the end," Hannah said softly, "which pleased my master greatly."

"She became our friend," Bard, Finny, MeyRin and Tanaka said, "and we wish we had more time with her."

"Finally, the Queen," a clone called out.

"I lost my love," he replied, "Sebastian was distracted by that half demon most of the time that he didn't spare a moment for me."

"I didn't…" I said as I looked at them all, "I'm sorry!"

"I forgive you, Alice!" Soma called out.

"Quiet!" the Queen snapped, "now Alice, you have heard all the evidence. Your crime is loss of memory, don't you see? You are a truly horrid person, and my judgement still stands. Off with her head!"

"We seem to have one more witness…"

"Quickly! Before I die of boredom!" the Queen snapped.

"Don't you remember what I told you?" a voice asked and I turned to see the Undertaker, "memories are such femoral things. Fading quickly and replaced by others. You've entered a dreamland, Alice, a place before you move onto the afterlife. A place where past and future meet and form something that has not yet existed."

"I don't remember," I said as I held my head.

"To come here to Wonderland, you had to travel light. Your memories are with your body while your soul stays here. You're only a shell of the original you, poor sweet Alice."

"Alice doesn't seem right," I said as I looked up, "it never seemed right."

"Kill him!" a voice snapped and I looked up to see Alois holding a dagger over Ciel.

"No!" I screamed before throwing myself over the stand to drop and run at Alois.

I tackled him to the ground and got up to stand in front of Ciel, looking at Alois as a threat. He stood and wiped his shorts before glaring at me.

"You tart!" he snapped as he went for me.

I charged at him as Claude came after me, and threw me towards one of the paintings. I sat up and blinked, finding myself somewhere new. A library I had frequented as a young girl, but now Alois was there with Claude and Ciel. Alois was going for Ciel once more and Claude looked every inch the demon he was. Something felt heavy in my hands and I looked down to see Laevateinn. I lifted it up, and it felt light to me as I swung it at Claude. The demon took the blow and fell to his knees.

"You can chose a different end," a voice called out as I lifted the sword over my head, "you can chose to forgo this and live on."

The voice was Sebastian's, the true Sebastian, and I felt part of me want that. Want everything I couldn't have when my hands steadied. I had made my choice many times, stayed where I was and protected the one person I could never afford to lose. The one person I was destined to lose. I brought the sword down on Claude and walked away as he died. I tackled Alois once more and removed the dagger in his hands before kneeling and looking down at his sad face.

"Please don't kill me," he begged, "you're meant to love me!"

"I never loved you," I snapped, feeling every moment of anger and hatred escape, "you made me hate waking up in the morning. You made me want to contract a demon so I could escape you. What type of idiot makes a girl feel that way?!"

"You can't do this!" he snapped, the fear obvious in his eyes.

"I can do as I please," I replied before pushing the dagger into his heart.

I stood and looked to Ciel and saw he was being helped up by Sebastian. My heart was racing and I wanted to know what had just happened.

"What's your name?" Ciel asked and I shook my head.

"I can't remember!" I said as I looked around me.

"Once you remember your name," Sebastian said, "you are free."

I held my head in my hands, trying to think. I had been named after Mother's friend, and that name had meant I was a Child of Light. Daddy had said it suited me often, that I was the best of both worlds. I had a demonic nature, but it was supressed by my humanity. That was why I never craved souls, and why I felt protective of Ciel. A human would have died many times over, but the demon part sustained me. That was why…that was why I was me.

"Elena," I said, "my name is Elena Hamilton. I was seventeen when I died. I died protecting my master, Ciel Phantomhive!"

The memories came back in a flood, reminding me of everything I had ever done, everything that made me the girl who could protect Ciel with ease. The reason why Sebastian had added me as a contractual obligation. It was all to keep me alive as me. Alois had tried to supress me, make me a silent girl but that didn't last long. I was Martin and Andrea Hamilton's daughter. I was also Richard Cummins' daughter.

"You wanted to find me," Ciel said as I stood and brushed my hair away from my face.

"To tell you I may have had many opportunities, ones with a family or simply existing. I could have died when I was younger or from some unknown disease. I could have married and had my family," I said before putting my hands on Ciel's shoulders, "but no matter what could have happened, I would never regret my time spent with you. That is why I want you to be happy for the rest of eternity and don't forget what you were."

The world shimmered as I placed a kiss to Ciel's forward and the same for Sebastian. They faded like fireflies and I was left in a beautiful snowy field. It then shifted…

"Off with her head," the Queen shouted at the top of her voice. Nobody moved.

"Who cares for you?" said Alice, (she had grown to her full size by this time), "You're nothing but a pack of cards."

"At this the whole pack rose up into the air, and came flying down upon her: she gave a little scream, half of fright and half of anger, and tried to beat them off, and found herself lying on the bank, with her head in the lap of her sister, who was gently brushing away some dead leaves that had fluttered down from the trees upon her face…it ends there," I said as I closed over the book and looked at the girl in the coffin.

Her hair was an odd blonde shade with black forming at her roots. She was wearing a formal white dress and her hair was allowed to flow free around her. The Undertaker walked over to add another rose to her coffin.

"Her soul would have heard every word," he said to me, "it is just after eight, if you wish to wake your master."

"Thank you," I said as I put the book down.

I stood and looked at the girl carefully. The maid turned bodyguard. You could never tell how she had died, not with how the Undertaker had dressed her. It looked almost as if she was sleeping. But all you had to see was her deathly pale skin and her blue lips to know she wasn't. I sighed before taking the necklace out to view it. A silver crescent moon, a symbol she had given me before I had went to fight Claude. To tell me to come back to her and Ciel. I raised it to my lips and kissed it before putting it back under my shirt. I would wear it as a reminder of what Elena had been like.

"I wish you pleasant dreams, Elena," I said softly to her before I picked up my coat, "a world like Wonderland where only the bad die…"

Anyone who was with Ciel as he buried Elena would say they saw a shimmer of a girl, wearing a beautiful blue dress and her hair was blowing light in the breeze. Her eyes would remain trained on Ciel, though he never looked at her. Some would think she was seeing the end of a hard day's work, others would say she wanted to make sure the demon was safe…even though it was no longer required. The butler noticed her, a smile on his lips but the boy never did.

But everyone knew it was her, the one person that had given up everything to protect the boy. But she was there to tell him something she had failed to say before her life faded from this world.

"Goodbye Ciel," she whispered before fading on the next breeze, and moving on to the next dream, her adventure in Wonderland starting anew…

**So what did you all think? I thought I'd leave Sebastian to narrate so now that it has concluded, it's back to me. This was one of my favourite OVAs, and I hope you enjoyed the story. Please review and let me know what you all thought or if you want to PM me, I'll get back to you as soon as I can :) Thanks for reading :)**


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